Call to scrap bill on communal violence

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has demanded scrapping of the controversial Prevention of Communal Violence Bill and called upon affiliated organisations across the country to launch a movement for its withdrawal.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has demanded scrapping of the controversial Prevention of Communal Violence Bill and called upon affiliated organisations across the country to launch a movement for its withdrawal.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government should either scrap the bill or amend it to protect the interests of the Muslim community, the board’s assistant secretary general Abdur Raheem Quaraishi told mediapersons here on Sunday.

Releasing the Lucknow Declaration after its three-day conference, Quaraishi said, “The bill in its present form is extremely harmful to the community.”

He said the board opposed provisions of the bill providing the police and administrative officers wider powers to deal with communal violence. He said this was “dangerous” and “would further complicate the situation”.

Quaraishi said it was strange that these two wings of the state were being strengthened despite the fact that several commissions that had enquired into communal riots had generally held the police and administration responsible for the violence.

He said a delegation of the board would soon be meeting the central government to apprise it of its stand on the bill. The board has also invited all secular parties to join hands to oppose the bill.

Reiterating its stand on terrorism, the board said innocent Muslim youths were being framed in false cases and there had been a large number of fake encounters in the country. Quaraishi said the police had also failed to prove charges in cases against these youths.

The board, in its declaration, also expressed concern over the strengthening of Indo-Israeli ties by the UPA government.